Opebe acting struggles reveal how the Yoruba comic actor endured real beatings on set, turning scripted fights into genuine confrontations

Popular Yoruba comic actor Yomi King, widely known as Opebe, has opened up about his early struggles in the Nigerian film industry, revealing that some of the beatings he endured on movie sets were not staged but painfully real.

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Speaking during an interview on the Behind The Fame Podcast on YouTube, the veteran actor explained that many of his so-called “acting scenes” in his early days went far beyond performance, becoming genuine physical encounters that left him hurt.

“Those sufferings were beyond acting; they were real beatings,” Opebe said in Yoruba, translated to English. “That’s what they call acting — you have to do it well and real for people to know it truly happened. Baba Suwe doesn’t mind. Anyone that knows him well knows he will beat you directly; ask the director.”

Recalling one particularly tense moment, Opebe narrated how a fight scene in the Yoruba movie Eku Meji turned into a real confrontation with veteran actor Yinka Quadri.

“In that movie Eku Meji, I had a role with Yinka where he was supposed to beat me. But we had a misunderstanding before then, and when the scene started, he beat me seriously. I shouted ‘Cut! This isn’t a movie anymore!’ It wasn’t acting at all,” he revealed.

According to him, the fight stemmed from a previous dispute involving Baba Suwe and Yinka Quadri, in which Opebe had taken sides. “He laughed and said, ‘In your life, you won’t interfere in people’s fights again.’ The person I supported — Baba Suwe — was laughing at me,” he added.

Reflecting on the experience, Opebe said it taught him an important life lesson: “That day, I said to myself, if people fight, it’s none of my business again. Since then, I know my boundaries.”

The actor’s honest revelation has struck a chord with fans, offering a rare glimpse into the harsh realities behind the humour and laughter of Yoruba cinema.